For Immediate Release March 30, 2011 For more information, contact: Jennifer McLennan jennifer [at] arl [dot] org (202) 296-2296 ext 121
SPARC launches new e-forum for subject repository development and success Washington, DC – SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) has announced it will host a new discussion forum dedicated to the unique needs of the subject-based digital repository community. As repositories continue to grow as an engine for driving Open Access worldwide, new challenges and opportunities emerge and the demand for more focused conversations grows. The SPARC Subject Repositories Forum (“SPARC-SR”) will enable subject repository managers, both inside and outside libraries, to share procedures and best practices, discuss possible joint projects, and support each other in providing access to an important realm of scholarly literature. The email discussion list will aim to build on the momentum of recent meetings – including SPARC’s digital repositories meeting as well as those focused on subject repositories – and will be the first formal electronic platform for subject repository advocates to collaborate. The founders and community managers of the forum include: · Jessica Adamick, Ethics Clearinghouse Librarian at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. · Julie Kelly, librarian at the University of Minnesota and a coordinator of AgEcon Search, a repository for agricultural and applied economics. · Rebecca Reznik-Zellen, Science Librarian at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and Project Manager for InterNano, an information portal and subject repository for nanomanufacturing. The need for broader subject repository recognition, research, and specialized language and practices is outlined in a recent article by Reznik-Zellen and Adamick, published in D-Lib Magazine last fall (http://www.dlib.org/dlib/september10/adamick/09adamick.html). “This forum will be a key step in creating the type of collaboration we need to see among subject repository managers,” said Kelly. “Through the community that forms, we look forward to seeing the development of standards, practices, and guidelines to inform further success in the area.” Librarians, educators, researchers, policy makers, and others who have an interest in subject repositories are welcome to join and contribute. Membership is open. Submissions will be moderated and may be subscribed to in a feed or digest. For details on how to join, visit http://www.arl.org/sparc/about/emailsignup.shtml. ## SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition), with SPARC Europe and SPARC Japan, is an international alliance of more than 800 academic and research libraries working to create a more open system of scholarly communication. SPARC’s advocacy, educational and publisher partnership programs encourage expanded dissemination of research. SPARC is on the Web at http://www.arl.org/sparc/. ------------------------------------- Jennifer McLennan Director of Programs & Operations SPARC jenni...@arl.org (202) 296-2296 x121 Fax: (202) 872-0884 http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermclennan http://www.arl.org/sparc -------------------------------------- Open Access Week 2011 October 24 - 30 http://www.openaccessweek.org
